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Toronto area could support two more NHL teams, report says

Canada can support another six NHL teams — two more in the Golden Horseshoe — according to a new study.

A U of T report says there are plenty of hockey fans in the Golden Horseshoe and new NHL teams in the GTA would thrive, including in Hamilton. (STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

By Dan RobsonStaff Reporter

Mon., April 11, 2011

We have the fans. They have the cash. The sport is a religion. So Canada can definitely support another six NHL teams — two more in the Golden Horseshoe — according to a new study that challenges the league’s America-first mentality.

“Instead of taking the supply of hockey where the demand isn’t,” it asks, “should the NHL go where the demand is?”

Attempts to promote hockey in southern American markets have been largely unsuccessful, argues the report from the Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation at the University of Toronto. Instead, the NHL should focus on bolstering the game in Canada where demand is greatest.

Canada’s six teams account for nearly one-third of league revenue. Most of those loonies end up in the United States, which has 24 teams, through revenue sharing.

The report, titled “The New Economics of the NHL,” uses potential gate revenue as a measure of economic success. It looks at 10 Canadian cities and ranks each as a potential host for an NHL team, based on size, wealth, geographic location and other factors.

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There are six Canadian markets where a new NHL team would thrive, the report found, citing Greater Toronto as the best one.

In fact, with 9 million people, the larger Golden Horseshoe could successfully support as many as three NHL teams. The study found that another team would be successful in Hamilton, London or Kitchener-Waterloo.

Montreal and Vancouver also have enough demand, as do Winnipeg and Quebec City. Teams in any of those cities would generate higher gate revenues than the average U.S. Sun Belt team.

But recent attempts to bring a new team to Canada have been repeatedly stifled. Winnipeg has yearned for the return of its beloved Jets, which departed in 1996. Quebec City is proposing to lure the NHL back with a new $400 million rink. Hamilton, poor Hamilton, has long been teased with prospects of hosting an NHL squad.

Meanwhile, the NHL has tried to grow support for the frozen game in the Sun Belt. With dismal ticket sales, the Florida Panthers have curtained off sections of seats. And the Phoenix Coyotes (formerly the Winnipeg Jets) face an uncertain future.

Click here for a look at all of the Canadian cities and why they would or wouldn't work.

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